Awning



Aug. 24, 1926. I V

' M. A. STELLA AWNING Filed Oct. 28. 1921 5 Shets-Sheet 1 Aug. '24, 19261,597,632

M. A. STELLA AWNING h Filed Oct. 28, 1921 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 JQ Q3 5Sheets-Sheet 5 M. A. STELLA AWNING Filed Oct. 28

iii

Aug. 24, 1926. 1,597,632

M. A. STELLA AWNING Filed Oct. 28. 1921 J 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Aug. 24 1926vM. A. STELLA AWNING Filed Oct. 28 1921 '5 Sheets-sheaf 5 Patented Aug.24, 1926. I

go NiTs-n STATES MARCO ANTHONY sTELLmor CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

Application filedOctoberi 28, 1921-. seriain s rizs- It is the object ofmy invention to provide a new and useful awning for buildings and thelike so designed as to protect all the parts within a closed housingwhen the awning is not in use.

It is a further objeot to provide means for raising or lowering theawning from the interior ofthe building. I i

It is the furtherobject to provide new and improved means for raisingthe awning.

It is the further object to provide an awning having end portions withmeans for drawing or rolling upthe end portions and paying outcontemporaneously with the movement of .the main portion of the awn- Iheabove and other features of novelty, advantagesandcapabilities willbecome apparent from a detailed description of the accompanyingdrawings,in which I have lllustrated an awning and operating means embodying oneform of my invention, but the construction there shown isto beunderstood as illustrative only and not asdefining the limits of myinvention. 7

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view of a device embodying one form of myinvention showing itappliedto a window. V p t Fig. 2 is a frontelevational view of the same showing the housing for the awning insection. i

Fig. 3 is a front elevational view showing the awning closed and all theparts encased within the housing.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged vertical sectional deswinging endframe member ofthe awning and its connectingparts.-

Fig. S isa plan iew o fthe same, showing the front frame member insection.

Fig. 9 is a sectional view taken on thev line 9-9 of Fig. 7.' Q

Fig. 10 is a sectional view taken on the line 1010 of Fig. '7. 4 .i i

Fig. 11 is a detailed perspective view of the sliding trip designed to;travel in the swinging end members.

removed, and

Fig. 12 is an endelevational view showing the parts in closed positionwithinthe houseing, the latter being in section. I

Fig.13 is. an enlarged elevational view of the awning inclosed positionwithin the housing with the strip on the frame mem-.

her, for closingthe. opening in the housing Fig. 14: is a sectional viewof thehousin taken on a line l4..l4f of Fig. 13.

Referring to the drawings'in detail, the housing 9 1s constructed.ofsheet metal and comprises a main portion and two legs fixed to thebuilding in any suitablemanner. The main roller '10 on which the mainportion 11 of the awning is taken up and paid out, is mounted within themain portion of the housing and is provided on each endwith a spindle12, which spindles are rotatably 7 mounted on suitable brackets13andl4:fixed to the Window frame-or building adjacent to the window within thehousing by suitable bolts or screws. The spindle onthe right of thestructure, as illustrated in-the drawings, hasrigidly fixedthereto adrivinggear 15 which is in mesh with the gear l6,fmounted on the shaft17, which shaft is rotatably mounted in the brackets 13 and 18, both ofwhich are rigidly fixed to. the building. vThe shaft 17 at its oppositeend is provided with a beveled gear 19 in mesh with the gear 20 ontheshaft 21, which shaft extends through.

the building as best shown in Fig. 1, and is;-

suitably connected with a reversible electric motor on the interior ofthe building for.

driving the same in either direction.

The main portion or front of the awning,

which, ofcourse, is made of the usual flexible material, is connectedat'its free end to the,

front frame member 22 to which there is. connected near each end thereofside mem-' bers 23. Said side members in the modi fica'tionshown beingconstructed of a hollow slotted tube suitably connected to the collars24 which collars are in turn rigidly fixed to the front framememberQQ-by any suitable means, as cbest shown on Figures 7. and8. Theopposite or inner. ends of said side members 23'is pivotally connectedas best shown.

in Figs. 6 and7, to bifurcated brackets. 25 which brackets are inturnrigidly fixed to the window frame or building. 7 -From thedescription thus far itwill be seen that when the motor within thebuilding isoperated in the proper direction the main roller 10 is drivenin a manner to wind thereon the main portion of the awning,

which in turn draws up the front frame member and swings the outer endof the side members upwardly in the path of an arc;

while this operation is takingplace Ihave of the rolleris provided'witha spindle on which there is slidably mounted a beveled pinion 28 whichpinion is adapted to move' into and out of mesh'with a comparativelylarge beveled gear 29,'mounted on the spintile 12 of the main roller. Inthe particular instance shown the ratio is about twoto one, that is, thegear 29 has about twice the diameter of the pinion 28, so that the siderollers 26 travel about one half as fast as the main roller 10. Thelower outer free endof the side portions of the awning are secured byany suitable means to a sliding bracket 30 slidably mounted in thelongitudinal slot in the side IIIBHlbBISrQEB, which members areinteriorly provided with a comparatively small" slotted tube 31 securedby means of screws or the like to the lower side of the member's'23,'the brackets 30 being provided with upper and lower flanges 32 and33, the upper one being adapted to engage the inner surface of the framemembers 23 and the ,lower flange to ride or rest on the small tube "31as best shown in Fig. 10. These bracket's have a downwardly extendingportion 34 to which are attached flexible cords or the like 35. Theopposite end of each :cord is V wound on a roller or shaft 35 'rotatably7 the brackets 25 as best shown in Figs. 7and 8 and movethe upper arm ofthe lever inwardable brackets {30 serve an additional function for whenthey reach their limit of inwardmovem'ent the pins 37 carriedthereby-engage the bell crank levers 38 which are pivoted on ly thuspulling down on the links or rods 39. The rods orlinks 39 are eachprovided at the upper ends with a head 40,-which' head isintegrallyprovided 'wit'h bifurcated ="fingers 41, the hub 42 isrotatably' but nonsli'dably connected with the fingers 41 in anysuitable manner, such for example, as the well known pin and.grooveconnection *best shown in Figs. 5 and 6. s As a result of thisarrangement the downward movement of the link 39 moves the pinion 28 outof mesh with the large gear 29 and prevents further windin up of thesidev portion of the awning alt ough the winding operation of the i'nainportion of the awning will continue Lmtil it is completely wound and theframe members drawn into place within the houslVorkin 'or pullingagainst the free end of the side portion of the awning at all times arethe'coiled spring motors 36in the front frame member 22, so that as soonas the lowering operation of the awning is started these coiled springmotors pullthe sliding brackets out of engagement with the bell cranklevers 38 whereuponthe com ression springs-43 mounted around the inks orrods 39 and between the heads 40 and brackets 27 cause the heads 40 tomove upwardly throwing the small pinion 28 in to mesh withgear 29, afterwhich the side portions of the awning cannot be paid out faster than ispermitted by the" travel of the motor. H

It will thus be seen that I have provided new, eflicient and novel meansfor winding up and paying out the side portions of the awningcontemporaneously with the main' portion; that all the parts are drivenfrom the interior of the building and," that the means for drawing upand paying out the side portions'of the awning are automatically engagedand disengaged.

The entire mechanism including the awning, front frame members and sideframe members are, when in close position, drawn within the sheet metalhousing '9, which housing is rigidly fixed to the building or windowframe and comprises side members, a top member witha sufiicient-ly largeslot or opening-to allow such parts to pass in and out, which opening orslot is best illustrated in Fig. 13 and .-is preferably -rovided withcounter sunk edges as tiere shown.

In order to fully protect the awningandparts thereof after having beendrawn within the housing, it is necessary to "close the slot or opening.This I accomplish by securing to the front framemembers and theside'frame membersa "closure or strip of metal 45 of the desired size tooverlap the opening in the housingiprop'er, but to fit within thecounter sunk edges so that the outer surface of the-housing will bejflush when the parts are" in proper position. This closure or strip isindicated by the refer-'' once 45 as best shown in Figs. '-'1,F3, 4, 6,8

and 13. The stri is secured' direct lyto-the front frame m'eIn er by anysuitable means, such as" screws, nails andthe like and to the sidemembers by means of sheet metal brackets 46 as best shown in Figs; 4 and9,

so that the strips of the side members are in alignment with the stripor closure on the front frame members.

While I have shownthe shaft for raising and lowering the awning drivenby an electric motor, it can also be raised or lowered by means of ashaft running down near the floor and operated by a crank having apinion in mesh with a pinion on such shaft.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In an awning, the combination of a main roller, side rollers, aswinging awning frame comprising front and side members,

a flexible awning attached at one end to said frame and adapted to bewound on said rollers and means adapted to automatically disconnect theside rollers from the main rollers before the main portion of the awninghas reached its closed position of rest.

2. In an awning, the combination of a main roller, side rollers, aswinging awning frame comprising front and side members, a flexibleawning attached at one end to said frame and wound on said rollers,means for driving said main roller, driving connections between saidmain roller and said side rollers and slidable means carried by the sidemembers of said awning frame adapted to automatically disconnect saidside rollers from the main roller before the main portion of the awninghas reached its closed position of rest.

3. In an awning, the combinationiof a main roller, side rollers, aswinging awning frame comprising front and side members, a flexibleawning attached at one end to said frame and wound on said rollers,means adapted to be operatively connected for driving said main rollerand adapted to be operated from the interior of the building, drivingconnections between said main rollers and said side rollers and slidablemeans carried by the side members of said awning frame adapted toautomatically dis: connect said side rollers from the main roller beforethe main portion of the awning has reached its closed position of rest,and means carried by the front frame member of said awning for pullingout the side portions of said awning contemporaneously with the downwardmovement of the main portion.

4:. In an awning, the combination of a swinging frame comprising frontand side members adapted to be pivotally mounted on a building, a mainroller, side rollers, a flexible awning connected at one end with themain portion of said frame and at its opposite end to the main roller,side awning to said side frame members, said brackets being adapted tobe fixed to a building, a main roller, side rollers, a main awningoperatively connected at one end to said main rollerrand at its oppositeend to the front frame member, side awnings, operatively connected atone end to said side rollers and at the opposite end to a slidablemember, slidably mounted in said side frame members, driving connectionsbetween said main roller and side rollers, bell crank levers pivotallymounted on said brackets and operatively connected to said drivingconnections in such a manner as .to make and break said connection uponthe operation of said bell crank levers, a pin carried by said slidablemembers and adapted to engage said bell crank levers for throw ing theside rollers out of driving connection with the main roller and .meansfor automatically making such connection on the initial downwardmovement of the awning substantially as and for the purpose set forth. r

6. In an awning, the combination of a main roller, side rollers, aswinging awning frame, comprising front andside members, flexibleawnings attached to said frame and roller means for normally driving theside rollers with the main roller and means for automaticallydisconnecting the side rollers from the main roller before the mainportion of the awning has reached its closed position of rest, saidmeans being adapted to automatically connect said side rollers with saidmain roller upon the initial downward movement of the main awning.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name to this specification.

MARCO ANTHONY STELLA.

IOU

